Stars In Progress: The Shield, Ryback Down, AJ Lee

Ryback – One Step Down

The London crowd was interesting on Monday. They were great in some areas, and then not so much in others. The final segment between Ryback and Mick Foley (primarily), followed by Cena and The Shield, was one of those not-so-much moments.

It fell flat, and I'm afraid it's Ryback that will take the heat as a result.

Keep in mind, this is just a small step down for Ryback in my book. He didn't do that bad, and Mick was Mick on the mic, but it doesn't seem like fans — even obnoxious crowds like the O2 Arena on Monday — are capable of fully investing in this program yet.

Quick aside: Ryback needs a lot of work in live mic situations. I'm not 100% certain this was the case, but I wouldn't be surprised if Mick was getting frustrated a bit with Ryback's refusal to let certain parts of the promo breathe. For example, when Mick put over how fans want to chant "Feed Me More" — rather than let the live crowd start chanting it to emphasis the point (which they started to), Ryback immediately started talking and ruined the opportunity.

Ultimately, I'm still unsure how negative this program with Cena will be for Ryback. It could still turn out fine in the end. The worst part is the reason it began in the first place, as I feel it had more to do with Ryback being the "only" option rather than being the "best" option.